THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

13 : RENEGADE

Alex stood dutifully at his post, his messy reddish-brown hair falling in front of his eyes.

The Sinners were so much different than the Clique.

The Sinners' headquarters wasn't an abandoned concert arena like the Clique's was.

It was a huge, empty warehouse, with catwalks hanging overhead and a few small hallways and rooms on the side.

The Sinners themselves were serious. Sophisticated. They weren't rowdy, they weren't picking fights, they weren't singing songs through the hallways as they went. There was no graffiti covering the walls. There were no concerts. Alex found it strange.

And others found Alex strange, too.

In fact, there was a group of three men staring at Alex, pointing and murmuring amongst themselves.

A bead of sweat slowly rolled down the side of Alex's forehead. He put his hands behind his back to hide his Clique bracelet.

What if they find out I'm not supposed to be here? That I'm not a Sinner at all. That I'm just a watch and a getaway for Missile Kid and-

"Hey!"

At first, Alex ignored it. He ignored the three guys calling out to him from across the room. It didn't make any sense. Why would they be talking to him? He was the new guy, for all they knew. Unless they knew he was there for another reason...

"I said hey! Are you deaf or something?"

Alex finally turned his head ever so slightly to the side, only to find the three guys approaching him. He drew in a sharp, fearful breath.

The three men were laughing and talking to each other as they walked up to Alex. He felt a pang of jealousy, though he had no idea why. He had plenty of friends back in the Clique, why would he care about the Sinners?

But something about these three guys made Alex feel slightly more comfortable. He relaxed his shoulders ever so slightly.

"Hey, I know you're the new guard and all, but you don't have to be that serious," one of the guys joked, laughing and resting his arm on Alex's shoulder.

The guy leaning on Alex was only slightly taller than him, wearing a black leather jacket and skinny jeans. A single bright red streak colored his jet black hair.

"You are new here, right?" The guy asked, tilting his head to the side and getting closer to Alex's face.

Alex swallowed back his fear before nodding. "Y-Yep."

"You don't have to be scared," the guy with the red stripe in his hair laughed. He smirked and bared his teeth, pretending to bite Alex's neck. "I won't bite."

Alex forced a laugh. The guy's breath on his neck gave him goosebumps. His body tensed with every touch.

"Jack," the man said, taking his arm off of Alex's shoulder and holding his hand out for him to shake. "Jack-fucking-Barakat. Easy name to remember, right?"

"Right," Alex scoffed and shook Jack-fucking-Barakat's hand. It was rough, and his fingertips were calloused, just like Alex's. He wondered if this Jack guy had ever played guitar before. "I'm Renegade."